


Auld Lang Sine

by Hazenator



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, New Year's Kiss, Pining, hella fluff, long past due, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-09 23:31:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3268376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazenator/pseuds/Hazenator
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve and Tony are in separate timezones, yet manage to spend New Year's together. Of course, they're totally not a couple. Nope, not at all.</p><p>Requested from <a href="http://hazenator.tumblr.com/post/106456312183/20-new-years-fanfic-prompts">this prompt list</a> by <a href="http://www.theotherhalfofthebrain.tumblr.com">theotherhalfofthebrain</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Auld Lang Sine

It was twenty til seven and Stark Tower was surprisingly quiet, to an extent.

Clint and Natasha were God-knows-where at this point; supposedly on another “secret mission”, which was a code phrase to Steve for “hot date that nobody better know about”. Steve honestly could not care any less, considering Natasha was at least finally happy. She would notify everyone when she felt it was necessary, if Clint didn’t spill the beans first.

Thor, meanwhile, was in New Mexico with Jane. He had thoroughly enjoyed the Midgardian celebration of Yule and adored Miss Foster’s secret delight in cliche festivities, including the New Year’s kiss.

Bruce was fumbling around their shared floor on the tower to Vitamin String quartet as he changed his shirt for what had to have been the tenth time. Apparently there was a friendly Stark intern with kind eyes who, while working on her PhD in astrophysics, had caught Bruce’s attention. He had adamantly insisted to Steve that this was in no way a date, but nothing Bruce could ever say would dismiss the fact that this was the first time Bruce had spent time with anyone of the opposite sex who wasn’t wearing a lab coat. Granted, they weren’t going out (as Bruce still was wary of who to trust in big crowds). Steve knew, though, that sometimes a quiet night in was the best kind of first date one could offer.

Tony, the man whose name was plastered across the building Bruce and Steve resided in, was surprisingly not in Manhattan this evening. England was in the process of transitioning to sole arc reactor energy and, unfortunately, Tony was required to assist in some of the fine-tuning before the zoning and production began to take place. A two-week trip that he had missed Christmas over, though he was due to be back within the next few days. Not that Steve minded. Nope, not at all.

In fact, Steve himself wouldn’t have even been at the tower if the past year’s events hadn’t taken place. Tony hadn’t thought for even a split second to turn Steve away when he showed up to the tower after SHIELD had been compromised, though. Sure, Steve had rolled his eyes at the immense amount of patriotic decor that adorned the apartment, but the two both knew he was silently grateful beneath the I’m-still-here demeanor.

“Steve! You got a minute?” Steve heard from down the hall.

Steve stood from the couch he had been sprawled across. “For you, Bruce? I’ve got at least five.”

He padded down the hall, barefoot in the only pair of jeans he had at the moment, into Bruce’s room. Bruce was sprawled across the bed on his stomach in almost a dormant form, but Steve knew better. Bruce had two ways of expressing frustration and anger (besides the obvious); either by curling into almost a fetal position, or slumping onto the nearest surface in resignation.

“Everything all right, Banner?” Steve asked, concerned.

“Hmph,” Bruce mumbled into the bedding before turning his head. “You know, I haven’t been this distressed over finding something to wear in over ten years. I’ve either been in lab gear or I’ve only had three shirts anyway.”

Steve chuckled. “Yeah, I know the feeling. Didn’t really know much about fashion until Tash started helping me out, all I really wear are PT clothes or the uniform. I can’t promise much help, but I’m willing to give it a shot.”

Bruce slowly rose from the bed and meandered to his closet. “It’s just dinner and drinks at the tower. Nothing big,” he said. “I don’t want to wear a suit for something she doesn’t take as formal, but I think jeans and a t-shirt are too casual, y’know?”

Steve nodded, arms crossed with a hand rubbing along his jaw. “I think the jeans should stay, but if you think a t-shirt’s gonna downplay it too much, just keep a button-up on with a blazer. Women have a thing for guys that do the quarter-rolled sleeve thing,” he said, walking past Bruce to pull out a light blue button-up and black jacket. “Of course, it’s whatever makes you comfortable.”

Bruce nodded hesitantly, removing his shirt and taking the one Steve handed him. “You tell Tony about this, I’ll never forgive you,” he said, buttoning it up.

Steve chuckled. “Your secret’s safe with me. Leave a few buttons open.”

Bruce complied, pulling on the jacket and turning to the full-length mirror on the closet door. “Another reason to keep you here, Rogers. You’re like Pepper except you do the heavy lifting.”

He grinned. “Glad to help.”

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he checked the text he received from Tony himself.

“Get on skype. I’m bored.”

Steve couldn’t help but grin inwardly. “I’d love to stay and chat, but my services are needed elsewhere.”

“Tony?” Bruce asked, knowingly.

Steve chuckled. “That obvious? You’d think he’d be out causing mayhem given the occasion.”

Bruce shrugged. “Nothing makes you feel lonelier than being the only person in a big crowd. He didn’t tell me about bringing a date. Speaking of which, feel free to join us if you get bored. Might take the edge off a little.”

Steve clapped a friendly hand on Bruce’s shoulder. “You got it. See you in a little,” he said, turning to head to his room down the hall.

He closed his bedroom door and sat at his desk, opening his laptop as it automatically signed into Skype. Within five seconds, Tony was calling him and Steve was answering.

“How’s London?” he greeted the engineer.

Tony was laid on his side in a well-lit hotel room, it appeared. A black t-shirt hugged his arms well and, while he looked tired, he didn’t look as exhausted as he probably was. “Jesus, Rogers, I thought I told Pepper to stop buying you shirts from Baby Gap.”

“Where?” Steve inquired, looking down at the white thermal that may have been a little small, but was comfortable nonetheless.

Tony shook his head, running his hand through his hair. “Nothing. London’s good. Just did an interview for Top Gear a few hours ago.”

“Top Gear. That’s the car show, right?”

“Bingo. You’re getting good at this, Rogers.”

Steve grinned. “Google is a wonderful resource. I think most guests do a lap in the show. How’d you do?”

“Technically, I’m not allowed to talk about it. But, if you can keep a secret, I can tell you that I blew Matt Leblanc’s time completely out of the water. Plus they’re doing a segment on the new Stark car, which is cool.”

He looked at the corner of his screen. “Five minutes til 2015.” Well, Tony’s 2015.

“Mhm,” Tony mumbled not-so-enthusiastically.

“Something the matter?”

He shook his head. “Do you make New Year’s resolutions, Rogers?”

Steve pondered a moment before responding. “Well, I’m about seventy behind, so I guess I stopped keeping track.”

Tony rolled his eyes the way Steve knew he would. “No, seriously.”

“Well,” Steve said, “I believe improving yourself is an ongoing thing. It doesn’t begin on a specific date and it never really ends. So setting goals on the first of the year that need to be achieved by next year seems pretty futile. At least to me, I’m sure others are different.”

“Mhm,” he muttered again. “You know, after all that’s happened, I promised myself last year that I was going to take a step back from everything. Take fewer risks before I got myself or someone else killed.”

Steve nodded, listening. He and Tony had had conversations before, sure, but they never really grew very personal. Steve, himself, had already been wary of who to trust, especially after SHIELD was compromised. Had the circumstances not been as desperate as they were, he would never have even shown up to Stark Tower to begin with.

But Steve had also learned to adapt quickly to his surroundings, always. He found Bruce and Tony to both be great companions, although he found himself confiding in Bruce more often than anyone else over things he had been scared to talk about for years. Tony, on the other hand, remained friendly but distant. Small talk was their main point of conversation, but the pair mutually were too scarred to either listen or speak of anything that would make them vulnerable. Bruce really was a perfectly suitable candidate for sainthood.

“I don’t know, Steve,” Tony said, hiding his face in his hand, “I just feel like I went a little overboard. I’m in my forties and I feel like I’m missing on so much.”

Steve chuckled. “I’m ninety and still have never had a New Year’s kiss, don’t feel too bad.”

Tony’s lopsided grin lit Steve’s heart up in a way nothing had in a while. “That’s too bad. No hot date tonight?”

“Nah. Just gonna watch the ball drop with Bruce and Caroline. I’m used to being the third wheel, it’s fine.”

There was a flicker of faint flashes behind Tony through the window. “Well, at least I didn’t have to spend New Year’s alone.”

Steve grinned. “Was that the whole reason you had me get on here? I feel almost used.”

“And you’ve done a marvelous job, Captain. I almost wish I was there to return the favor.” He yawned.

“How long you been up?”

“Since last year,” he mumbled.

Smartass. “You’ve got work to do tomorrow, I’m guessing.”

Tony nodded, his head falling into his arm and eyes drifting shut.

“Get some rest, Stark. I’ll see you in a few days.” Steve moved his cursor to hang up.

“Steve?”

He paused. “Yeah?”

“You’ve really never had a new year’s kiss?”

Steve’s lips pursed. “Not one.”

Tony’s mouth quirked into a sleepy grin. “Maybe next year I can be there.”

Steve’s heart stopped momentarily. “Come again?”

Tony pulled a blanket over his shoulders. “You know, if you don’t get a kiss on New Year’s at midnight, it’s said you’ll have bad luck at romance for that entire year. Maybe that explains why I never see you with anyone at home.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “You never see anyone because I don’t have time to find friends other than what everyone calls the ‘science bros’.”

Tony erupted into laughter, probably delirious from exhaustion. “I wish I was recording that. Captain America acknowledging the science bros.”

“I’m ninety, not dead,” Steve caught himself saying all too often these days. “Get to sleep, Tony.”

Tony’s laughter died. “I was serious about what I said, Steve. About wanting to be there.”

Steve sighed. “I’m sure, Tony. Nobody wants to spend a night like this alone.”

“It’s not that,” Tony interjected. “I just...you know what? Nevermind. It’s nothing.”

Steve paused. Maybe he had gone too far in denial. “What are you trying to say?”

Tony’s eyes drifted away. “I really just wish I was there, is all. Look, Steve, I’d love to stay on here, but I’m literally about to pass out.”

Steve smiled softly. “I may make one resolution this year.”

“Oh? What’s that?” Tony said, eyes fluttering shut once more.

“Get to know what this whole Tony Stark hype is all about. Coffee’s on me if you ever want to talk.”

Tony’s mouth curled into a sleepy smile. “Be careful, Cap. I might take you up on that.”

“Goodnight, Stark,” Steve said, in an attempt to avert the subject.

“Goodnight, Steve,” Tony complied.

Steve hung up and leaned back in his chair. He shut his eyes and sighed. _What just happened?_

Had Tony been sincere in his desire to spend time with Steve, or was he lonely from the holiday? And, unless Tony was hopefully completely oblivious, Steve was pretty sure he had just word-vomited an invitation for a date.

...no, that’s stupid. Two men can get coffee together and talk about whatever comes to mind without it being a date. Surely that was how Tony interpreted it, anyway. Not that Steve would necessarily mind it otherwise. Wait, what? Steve barely knew Tony as more than a teammate and makeshift landlord, and up until this evening hadn’t so much as thought about Tony in a remotely romantic sense.

Okay, there was that dream a few nights ago where the pair had almost reenacted the final scene from Snow White after Hulk had so gracefully rescued Tony after the Chitauri attack. But that was it.

Nevermind when Steve would catch Tony staring, only for him to play it off as nothing. And nevermind the butterflies(?????) that Steve couldn’t help but feel consequential to the subconscious idea that maybe Tony was mutually interested.

...all right, Steve had developed a small crush. However, he knew better than to act upon it at this point. Not only were he and Tony essentially coworkers, and not only would their relationship be impossible to explain to Fury (wherever the hell he is); but considering Tony was one of the few friends he had left, the last thing Steve wanted to do was tarnish that with unsolicited romantic advances.

Besides, Tony is a natural flirt anyway. Steve had seen the way Tony interacted with Bruce, and that alone needed no explanation. Tony was a very touchy-feely person with what few people he let get close enough. A billion-dollar smile and charm that would make the Queen of England herself blush. Surely, Steve was just enduring the Tony Stark effect, something not even the serum gave him an immunity from.

Still, a grin couldn’t help but creep upon the soldier’s lips as he couldn’t help but picture the thought of a certain person’s lips against his when the ball dropped in a few hours.

He quickly dismissed the idea, knowing Tony was about a ten-hour flight away anyway.

* * *

 Despite going stag for the evening, the sad excuse for a party the trio threw was actually going well. Steve had no use for alcohol, Caroline didn’t care much for it, and Bruce resented it; so the group simply sat in the living room, sipping sparkling cider and bantering on about various subjects.

...okay, Bruce and Caroline did most of the talking. Steve listened, sure, but he was more tuned on his watch that he couldn’t help but glance at every five minutes. It was ten minutes til midnight and - while this year had been void of dull moments and Steve was happy to find camaraderie among the wreckage - he couldn’t help but ponder the “what ifs” that seemed to adorn him in the same manner that a ton of bricks would adorn his shoulders.

What if he and Tony had gotten off on a better foot when they first met?

What if they had set aside their differences sooner and begun to know each other?

What if Steve had taken a chance (and a clue) and confessed his subliminal longing for Tony, that he was too scared to admit to himself?

What if Tony was there tonight?

Steve quickly snapped himself out of his meandering thought process and quietly observed the pair beside him. Bruce had shed his jacket a few moments after Caroline arrived, instead heeding Steve’s advice and rolling his sleeves up. However, Caroline’s gaze was intent on Bruce’s face. She listened carefully to anecdotes he told about his days in Calcutta, working with Tony Stark himself, and even small mentions of the long-unmentioned Betty Ross. Yet her responses came naturally, unforced, and in a way that Bruce almost melted into her personality like butter.

The two looked like a couple on the first date of many. Comfortable, friendly, yet still taking their time to delve into who the other person was. She looked at Bruce the same way Steve recalled seeing Peggy’s fleeting glances. And, while that should have made him miss her more, he at least was given the closure they had desperately needed and the ability to slowly move on.

That being said, the only person he seemed to really think about at a time like this was Tony. How unfortunate.

“Steve? Hello?”

A dainty hand waved in front of his face and Steve snapped out of his trance once more. “Hm? Yeah?”

“It’s a few minutes til,” Bruce said.

“Come outside with us,” Caroline insisted.

Steve wasn’t sure if the pair would have felt bad about leaving him alone inside, but he accompanied them nevertheless. If for nothing else, it was to be a gentleman. He was never one to deny the genuine request of a nice woman.

Bruce shot him a look that said “I’m sorry” but mouthed the words “thank you” behind Caroline’s shoulder as she leaned against the high rail of the balcony.

New York City really was breathtaking from this altitude, Steve couldn’t help but admit. He had seen plenty of things in the city, having grown up and resided there most of his conscious life. However, a starry night sky was not something that came easy across the skyline from most buildings there.

Tony’s building was high enough to catch a glimpse at a good amount, though. One star in particular glowed brighter than the rest, it seemed. In fact, it seemed to grow increasingly brighter, and brighter, and…

“Guys?”

“Yeah, Steve?” Bruce perked up.

“Did that star just move?”

Caroline shot a look that was a cross between adoring and sardonic. “Steve, that’s not a star.”

“Comet?”

“Definitely not.”

The glowing object grew closer, and closer, and Steve saw a minor flicker that looked strikingly similar to...repulsors?

“No way…”

“I know that isn’t who I think it is,” Bruce muttered.

Caroline raised her eyebrow and opened her mouth to question who Bruce suspected the figure to be, before she quickly figured it out herself and her smile grew.

Sure enough, Iron Man pursued toward the trio at what had to have been the speed of sound. Steve’s heart felt as if it had stopped. He turned to Bruce. “What the hell is going on?”

Bruce shrugged. “The guy likes to make an appearance. Head’s up, incoming!”

Steve’s attention was averted to the metal man inbound. Iron Man wasn’t just headed for Stark Tower; he was aiming directly for Steve. Steve exclaimed an expletive even he was ashamed to admit had come from his mouth and dodged to the side, having Tony miss him by a mere few inches as he gracefully landed on the balcony and stumbled into a proper standing position, facing Steve.

The faceplate was deftly removed by Tony’s own hand. “Steve,” he gasped, seemingly short of breath.

Steve was completely rendered speechless, his jaw slack and palms quivering and sweating. Tony’s eyes appeared bloodshot in the poorly-lit area and his brows arched in concern.

“I can explain.”

Steve motioned for him to do so, since his brain apparently lacked the capability to produce a verbal response.

“After you hung up, I slept for about two hours. But then I woke up and couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d said earlier. About not taking risks and missing out because of it.” He took a cautious step towards Steve. “I decided that it was time to put an end to all of this nonsense. Not because it’s New Year’s Eve and not because I’m lonely, but because I know you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“B-but,” Steve stuttered in the same manner of a nervous schoolboy. “You could have called or waited til you came back and what are you talking about?” he said, in an attempt to avoid letting his mind think Tony meant what he had hoped.

There came Tony’s perfectly white smile. “You said you’d never had a New Year’s kiss. I couldn’t let either of us have bad luck this year,” he said.

“Not to interrupt,” Caroline interjected, startling the pair. “But the ball’s ten seconds away from dropping. Just to throw that out there.”

Tony’s expression grew frantic. “I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want, but I have a strong feeling you do.”

Steve hesitated. “I don’t think you understand,” he began.

“I’m starting to want you to make me,” Tony said, decreasing the space between the two even more. “C’mon, Cap. I didn’t just fly over the Atlantic Ocean for nothing.”

Steve rolled his eyes, though any attempt to keep a straight face was futile. “Just had to make it before midnight, huh?”

“Fuck it,” Tony muttered, swiftly grabbing Steve by the collar and completely closing the space before pressing their lips together in a soft, chaste kiss.

The first and only? Oh, no.

The first of many? A small amount of hope (that Steve had been thoroughly convinced had diminished) began to flicker in a crevice within his soul.

His hand came up to grasp the back of Tony’s head, still encased in titanium armor, to assure that he at least was able to reciprocate the gesture. He felt Tony slightly gasp beneath his lips, though the other man made no protest.

His senses were set suddenly ablaze. The man’s beard tickled against his clean-shaven complexion, just like he had imagined. As his tongue came out to test the waters, Steve tasted no alcohol, besides apparent Listerine. Tony smelled like expensive aftershave and sweat, mingled with his signature familiar scent indescribable. And when Steve heard a loud clatter, he may have startled if a firm hand hadn’t come to settle at the top of his hip around his waist.

This was good. This was a good start. This was only the beginning, right?

The grip tightened on Steve and Tony pulled away. Reflections of fireworks across the sky scintillated across Tony’s eyes, illuminating the way they screamed at Steve to either say something or kiss him again.

“What are you doing here, Tony?”

Tony’s lips pursed and he broke his gaze for a moment. “I couldn’t start the year making the same mistakes I have been.”

“And this was a logical alternative?” Steve quipped.

Tony scoffed. “You don’t seem to be complaining. And unless you are, yes. Absolutely. It’s the best decision I’ve made all year.”

Steve rolled his eyes and the pair heard a distant “Boo!” from Caroline, one of the two people a few yards away who had begun to feel light years away. Steve grinned. “That was cheap.”

Tony’s radiant smile was contagious and Steve’s grew more. “Yeah, but it was worth your reaction.”

Steve’s curiosity got the best of him. “So what, now?”

Tony shrugged. “All my real work’s taken care of. I’m missing a few meetings, but we’ll set up a video conference and they won’t complain.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I meant.”

Tony’s smirk only faded an ounce. “You’ve always been the natural leader, Cap.”

Steve hesitated a moment. “Well, you never said no to coffee.” Steve was never one to kiss on the first date, but he was sure it wasn’t the only exception he’d make for the engineer before him.

Tony’s bare hand came up to settle on Steve’s chest, making his heart flutter maybe an ounce. “That’s a hundred percent accurate.”

Steve grew minorly daring and caressed Tony’s cheek with his thumb. “I’d say that’d be a good start.”

* * *

 The rest of the evening may have been considered uneventful to many. Bruce and Caroline soon parted from the two, Bruce escorting her home like the gentleman everyone knew him to be. And, while Tony was evidently exhausted from work and his recent travel, he was adamant on duplicating Bruce’s gesture.

The two slowly wandered to Steve’s room, as if attempting to soak in every moment of the evening in all of its essence. Steve felt Tony’s hand gently graze his, they were so close. However, Steve brushed it off as they arrived at his door.

Tony smiled up at Steve, their height difference still prominent and minorly comedic to him. “Between you and me, I’d say this has been the best start to a year I’ve had in a long while.”

Steve’s lips quirked into a crooked grin. “Likewise, Stark.” He almost wanted to invite Tony into his room, but wasn’t sure exactly what he would do if he accepted.

Luckily, Tony took initiative instead. “I’m a little tired. I’ll meet you at ten tomorrow, right here. All right?”

He nodded. “Sounds great.”

Tony bit his lip subtly and his eyes shifted left and right, expectantly.

_Oh, the hell with it._

Steve grabbed Tony’s sides and pulled him close, kissing him firmly as if to drink in the evening simply one last time. This time, his nervousness was completely abandoned and his mind seemed to slow down for the first time in forever. A name echoed in his head, resonating into that crevice in him once more to fill the void once and for all with nothing but anticipation and elation.

Instead of a thousand thoughts per second popping up sporadically, it all seemed to zone on those soft lips against his, that plush tongue haphazardly mingling with his in a desperate manner, fingers intertwining with his hair to tug in just the right way.

Just as quickly as the kiss began, the two parted, their pupils dilated and breath heavy. Tony’s thumb brushed against Steve’s cheek gingerly. “Goodnight, Steve. Thank you. For everything.”

Steve nodded firmly, reluctantly opening his bedroom door and stepping inside as Tony turned and parted ways. Once it was shut, Steve fell against it and slid to the floor. His heart raced, his palms were sweaty, and there was a sheepish grin on his face that absolutely refused to go away.

If this evening were to foreshadow the coming year, Steve would say the two were off to a great start.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to anyone reading this, especially [theotherhalfofthebrain](http://www.theotherhalfofthebrain.tumblr.com) for not only requesting the fic to begin with (multiple apologizes for the tardiness, again), but also being an avid follower of mine on tumblr - most times being listed as my "biggest fan". You've been really supportive of my work since you've stumbled upon it and I appreciate it more than you could possibly fathom.


End file.
